Wow, there's some great advice there. To respond to a few of the comments, I did have a fitting when I bought the bike, but my body has changed. SI joint issues that made one leg longer than the other have been addressed. So maybe I should do it again, even just for a second opinion.

What happens when I go faster is mainly an achiness, like lactic acid buildup, mostly in my quads. With a slower cadence it's like there's a little recovery period in each turn, but when I spin faster the ache just doesn't go away. Probably just improving my basic fitness level and getting used to spinning faster more often will help.

I have a good girlfriend who is a competitive triathlete, consistently wins her age group. I rode with her a few times last summer and it almost killed me, but I think I'll start doing it again, if she'll let me tag along! And I'll ride almost every day, and get a cadence meter.

As for BF, when we finished our ride on Sunday he said to me, "I love you honey, but you're the enemy." To which I sweetly replied, "Thanks, I feel the same way about you!" If I have to resort to sabotage, I will!